Bush Signs Bill Allowing Fort Donelson Expansion With Fort Heiman
December 2004

WASHINGTON, D.C. - President George W. Bush signed into law the Fort Donelson National Battlefield Expansion Act of 2003 allowing expansion of the battlefield by adding Fort Heiman on the Tennessee River in western Kentucky.

The bill was passed in May by the U.S. Senate and on Oct. 8 by the House. It was signed into law on Oct. 25. It raises the ceiling on the park's boundary from 600 acres to 2,000 acres.

Fort Heiman, in Calloway County, was privately owned by 17 property owners who held 47 lots. According to Debby Spencer, tourism development specialist with the West Kentucky Corporation, a 45-county economic development organization, the county raised just over $1 million to buy 25 lots amounting to 179 acres from one property owner and an additional lot from another landowner. That leaves 22 lots to still purchase.

She says a total of about 263 acres will be bought by the county and donated to the National Park Service when the sites are purchased. The first purchases were funded from TEA-21, Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund Board, and a Land & Water grant.

Heiman was one of three prominent Southern earthen forts on the Tennessee River in Tennessee and Kentucky, along with forts Donelson and Henry. They were captured by troops under Union Gen. U.S. Grant in February 1862.

Fort Henry, on property owned by the U.S. Forest Service, was built on floodplain and is now submerged. Fort Henry is about 10 miles from Fort Donelson and Fort Heiman is 30 miles from Donelson.

The legislation to expand Fort Donelson battlefield was headed in Congress by Tennessee Sen. Jim Bunning and representatives Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.) and John Tanner (D-Tenn.).

Information and maps about Fort Heiman and the river forts can be found at www.thinkwestkentucky.com/fortheiman